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Our Permaculture Design Course (PDC)
Flexible Online Learning with Practical Community Days
Our accredited 72-hour Permaculture Design Course has evolved to make learning more accessible, flexible and community-centred.
Many people tell us they are passionate about learning permaculture but find it difficult to commit to either an intensive residential course or a series of weekends. To make the course more accessible, we now offer a flexible learning pathway that combines self-paced online learning with optional practical community days throughout the summer.
Whether you are joining us from Cornwall, elsewhere in the UK, or further afield, you can now study the full Permaculture Design Course at your own pace and engage with practical learning opportunities when they suit you.
What Is Included?
Online Course
The online course covers the full internationally recognised 72-hour Permaculture Design Course curriculum and includes:
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Video lessons
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Practical activities and exercises
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Design assignments
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Downloadable resources
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Permaculture design methodologies
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Ecological systems design
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Personal and community regeneration strategies
Students can complete the course at their own pace and revisit lessons whenever they wish.
Practical Community Days
Alongside the online course, we host practical permaculture days throughout the summer at our community garden on the Rame Peninsula.
These hands-on days provide opportunities to:
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Gain practical experience
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See permaculture in action
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Ask questions and receive support
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Participate in Q&A sessions
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Explore areas of particular interest
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Meet other students and community members
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Learn alongside local families and young people
These sessions help bring the course material to life while contributing to a real-world regenerative project.
Learning with the Next Generation
As part of our wider vision, we are integrating youth education into many of our practical sessions.
Participants may have opportunities to learn alongside young people and families taking part in ecological education programmes focused on:
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Permaculture
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Climate resilience
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Food growing
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Biodiversity
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Community regeneration
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Practical environmental solutions
We believe that investing in the next generation is one of the most important forms of regeneration we can undertake.
Course Investment
The course is offered on a Pay-What-You-Feel basis.
Suggested contributions are:
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£399 – Online Course
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£650 – Online Course plus access to all practical community days
Payment plans and instalment options are available.
We encourage participants to contribute what feels fair and affordable according to their circumstances.
Many previous students have described the course as life-changing, helping them create abundant gardens, regenerative businesses, community projects and more sustainable ways of living.
Supporting Something Bigger
All proceeds from this course directly support the ongoing development of our community garden and educational projects.
Funds raised contribute towards:
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A solar energy system
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A compost toilet
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Improved irrigation infrastructure
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Permaculture education for young people and families
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Community growing projects
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Creating opportunities for the next generation of eco-solutionaries and regenerative leaders
By joining the course, you are not only investing in your own learning but helping to create practical regenerative solutions within the wider community.
Course Curriculum
The course curriculum remains the full accredited 72-hour Permaculture Design Course and is divided into the following eleven modules:
First Module: An Introduction to Permaculture
During this one day introduction to permaculture design, we take our first steps on our woodland journey, folding back the leaves as we demystify permaculture and start to gain greater understanding of how mother nature functions:
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How we can work with nature to create ecologically productive landscapes, social systems and infrastructure.
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How to turn our impact on the earth from negative to positive, from destructive to regenerative as we rediscover our place of harmony with nature.
In this module we will give you an introduction to permaculture.
You will learn about:
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The history, its ethics and attitudinal principals,
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How we can integrate permaculture into all aspects of our life.
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Why permaculture is important at this time in our evidence session.
We will also look at different learning strategies.
We will delve deeper into the wilderness, as we look at the importance and benefits of wildlife and what it has to teach us.
Second Module: Permaculture design Methodologies
In this module we will explore all aspects and methods of permaculture design:
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From design processes to design tools
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From system thinking to system functions.
We will go through the permaculture design principles and expand on the knowledge you gained from module 1.
We will be taking you through each step of the design process, from observation all the way to implementation.
In this module we will also cover permaculture design tools such as :
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random assembly,
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output / input analysis
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zones and sectors
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and much more
Third Module: Patterns in Nature and in Design
In this module we will look at the fascinating world of natural pattern and we will cover:
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Patterns in nature
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Patterns in design
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World climates as a pattern
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Landscape profiles
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Climate and landscape strategies
No matter where in the world you find yourself designing for, this module aims to give you a pattern eye, all the tools, techniques and understanding, necessary to formulate an appropriate strategy.
Fourth Module: Bio intensive Permaculture
Small is beautiful, and there is nothing more attractive and bio diverse than a bio-intensive garden. In this module we will look at:
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Permaculture Home kitchen gardening / zone 1
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Urban permaculture
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Guerrilla gardening
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The urban eco-agronomists tool kit
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Insync with nature gardening.
Alongside this we will be discussing a wide range of topic such as:
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The advantages and disadvantages of the urban lifestyle
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How to retrofit cities to become permaculture havens of wildlife and natural abundance
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Community gardens
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And educational school kitchen gardens.
Fifth Module: Edible Forest Gardening
Working with nature can become a near effortless pleasure when we forest garden.
In this module we look at productive perrenial multi layered agroforestry systems.
The lessons we will be covering in the module are:
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Food forest gardening / zone 2
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The many functions of a tree
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Regenerative woodland management / zone 4
We will also be looking at:
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Forest gardens’ arrangement and individual layers
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How they function
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How to assemble them and where to start
We will also be looking at useful tools and techniques within both the establishment and the maintenance of a food forest garden.
Sixth Module: Permaculture Living Soil
“There are those that merely concern themselves in the growing of plants, and there are those who grow the life in the soil”
In this module we will be covering:
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The history of Soil and soil science
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What is living soil ?
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Soil ecology and the soil food web
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Classifying your soil and the pH scale
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Composting and worm composting
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Many other ways to build soil.
We will also be looking at both no till and no dig food production as well as soil cultivation on a broad scale farms and more!
Seventh Module: Permaculture Living Water
“Mulch more and water less. Increase your organic humus layer by just 2% is equal to 80% less watering needs ”
In this module we will be covering:
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Living water
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Wise water living
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Sewage / dry compost toilets
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Black and Gray water treatment solutions
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Hydrology/ rainwater harvesting in the land and on the land
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Irrigation (passive and active)
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Aquaculture / aquaponics
We will also be looking at earthworks, swales, surveying contour lines and finding water sources on the land.
Eighth Module: Permaculture Living Animal Systems
“From large to small, from furry to feathered, from webbed to hoofed, whether trotting or waddling, there is a beneficial place and function for every animal within a permaculture system.”
In this module we will cover:
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The power of animals, small to large livestock, individual consideration and beneficial function within an ecosystem.
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Wild vs domestic livestock
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Rotational planned grazing - holistic management
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Natural Beekeeping
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Aquaculture systems
Whether you are looking to manage a large acreage with livestock, or just wanting to have a few chooks in your backyard, there is much to learn from this module of the course.
Ninth Module: People and Permaculture
“With People systems, we find both our greatest challenge and our greatest potential for positive change. The more we look, the more that we realise that we are our most crucial resource.”
In this module we will cover:
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Ecobuilding vs natural building / zone 0
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Biological and renewable resources
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Appropriate technology and it’s heros!
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Building Living economy and an abundant community
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Bioregional development and the transition movement
Alongside these sessions we will be looking at green technologies, localised currencies and financing community projects and more!
Tenth Module: Permaculture Design Course Review and Presentation Preparation
This module is ONLY for students who have completed all the other modules and are wanting to graduate and receive their Permaculture Design Certificate.
In this module we will briefly review:
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All the design methods,
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Design process and tools
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Basemap theory
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Mapping and surveying
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Presentation skills
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And more!
This module will prepare you to start your design practice workshop.
We will also cover anything that still remains unclear to any of the students, as well as giving each of the students a chance to give their feedback.
Students will be presenting their completed personal self reflection exercises that they have done during the other modules.
At the end of the module, all attendees will follow through into design practice time, to prepare for final designs and presentation in the next module.
Eleventh Module: Permaculture Design Presentations
Live Group Session
This module is ONLY for students who attended all 10 previous modules, have completed their final designs and are ready to present them to the group.
This day will be a mix of presentations, feedback, and celebration!
We will also be looking at:
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What does it means to be a certificated permaculture designer ?
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Where can you go from here ?
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The diploma process
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Teaching opportunities
Accommodation Options
If you are interested in staying during your course, there are lots of options available here on the Rame Peninsula. Whatever your budget we can offer you accommodation, homestays, camping or staying in a caravan. We can give prices for all of the above when you email us about the the dates you prefer to join the PDC Permaculture Design Course.
Examples of prices:
Trailer Tent camping £300 per week for 2 people sharing, caravan £350 per week 2 people sharing.
Please email permaculturekernow1@gmail.com for availability and more information.
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